What Have I Done and Where Am I Going.. Even I Struggle to Keep Up!

Wow – what a year. What a huge, huge year. I have been wanting to sit and write for months now but something always got in the way…until today. I’m lying here on my great big bed, back in my home, all kids around me, doors open, pool sparkling and I’m contemplating my day…but decided to start it with some writing.

I can hardly believe what has happened in the last 12 months and most of it occurring without much notice, if any. Each facet has changed my life in some way, shape or form and pretty much all of it has been good. Better than good. In fact this year has had some highs that have blown me away.

What it has reiterated to me is that each and every part of your life has to marry up to make an overall picture. It’s no good being at the top of your training game….if home is falling apart. And I’m not sure you’ll make it to your full potential anywhere else if you don’t have the support of those that love you. Around that, most of us have to make a living doing something. Again, if you treat work with disdain or contempt, you’re robbing yourself of at least 40 hours of your life that should and could be used to make life even better. This has been the year that I have found the best balance that I’ve ever had with relation to all. Which is surprising considering the physical proximity to my family has often been non-existent.

Re-joining the police has certainly been the right thing to do. It all fell into place so easily and has been like ‘going home’. My 11 weeks at the Academy were just fine after which I jumped at the opportunity to ‘go bush’ for 5 weeks (hehe) and spent right on 6 months at Numbulwar and Minyerri. Fantastic opportunities and experiences found me just about every day. For the last 5 months I lived in a shipping container village – containers made up the station, cells, kitchen, bedrooms, lounge etc etc. It was like living permanently in a caravan.

I have a fairly healthy sense of humour so it’s no surprise that, on occasion I laughed so hard I cried. Other times I saw things that made me want to just cry. I got up close (too close) to donkeys, buffalo, crocs, snakes, roos, camp dogs, camp pigs and friggin huge cows. I drove…and drove….and drove…and drove. It became routine to spend a day a week travelling the 500km into town and back to drop off people, property or broken vehicles. We even got a call to a fairly urgent job just 350km away one Sunday. Due to the road condition it took 4 hours to get there so predictably the urgency had gone by the time we arrived. I’ve been bogged, passed through some decent water, fallen into a pretty big hole (not cool!) and had a flat tyre on the side of the Roper Highway at night with a prisoner on-board who watched the laborious change  -and was threatened with my super speed should he attempt to run (gotta be the joke of the year!!! Where the hell would you run to out there!!! Even funnier - I'm not fast or fit!!). Somewhere in this time we had a 10^th birthday party and a family Christmas together. I still smile at the thought of us decorating our little outdoor area with a Christmas Tree and Santa stocking and having surf and turf in the 45 degree heat with a gazillion flies joining in the fun!

In all I spent 9 months of 2013 living away from my family. That has been huge and not something I want to repeat. However, when all is said and done, it’s just made us a tighter, more appreciative family group and I would never have stayed away if it weren’t for their support the whole way through. Fortunately I have a husband and three children who are able (or trusting enough) to see the bigger picture and allow us to make a sacrifice in order to get to our goals. I could go on about how much I love for them for hours. I won’t. But I do.

After arriving home from Minyerri, I spent two nights before our holiday in Bali in which we did tons of sleeping and lying around. I decided to spend a hunk of each morning studying for a work exam and it paid off. Received news this week that I’ve passed and that’s a huge relief knowing I don’t have to go offer that pile of paperwork again!! Also gives me a few more great work opportunities. So I’m back now and I’m based here in Katherine. I’ve only been back two weeks but I’m loving it so far.

That’s the work story – so how about the training? Well that never stops no matter what – it’s the just the goal and the method that changes. I’ve nearly completed one whole year with my coach, Ingrid Barclay, and I can honestly say that she’s enabled me to make this sport something that I can achieve around all of the other things I have going on. Simply because she focuses on my health and wellbeing in proportion with what I’m trying to achieve. Doesn’t mean I’m not as fiercely focused on being the best I can – make no mistake about that. It’s just that I don’t have to do ridiculous amounts of cardio coupled with a low-calorie diet to get competition ready. Perfect for me. I can also say that Ingrid is a very special person in my life. She inspires me, makes me laugh, puts me in place if I need, and treats me with respect. I couldn't imagine her not ever being there.

In May, while at the police academy, I attended three competitions. I won the Geelong Conquest Classic Overall, I won my division at the Darwin WFF, and I came 3^rd at the Southern Hemisphere competition at the Gold Coast. Since then we have been focusing on building the weak areas – hams, lats, tris, quads. On my 6 month bush stint I had very limited equipment but always made sure I had the weights I needed to push myself on the staples; squats, deads, presses. I am pretty stoked with what I achieved out there however, six months later and I am desperate for some new exercises. Ingrid has given me a problem that I’m relishing. It’s a progressive overload program in three phases with some pretty cool exercises in there. A lot of it requires machines and I’m trekking out to the RAAF base where they have a fabulous gym full of everything I could ever need. I’m loving every workout and relishing the changes.

My goals are very clear this year. I want to do better than I have ever done. I want to look different – way different – than I looked at the last competition. Not only do I want to look different, I want more confidence, finesse, poise and grace. I want it all. As for which comps and where – one at a time. Firstly, Darwin WFF in September. From there…I’ll let you know.

I also on a constant mission to do better with nutrition. To learn more about why I do what I do and implement what I learn. Out bush I kept my food clean - too clean. It made me crave sweet stuff and I would go overboard when I indulged. It's a lesson well learned and I realise I need a mix of sweet and savoury in my daily life to feel satisfied. Doesn't mean I need processed, just good tastes through fresh foods of all sorts - fruits, seeds, nuts, meats, some dairy, along with the veg - YUM! Not exactly a hardship!

Just to add some more to the mix, I’m training five people this year in conjunction with Ingrid who looks after all of their nutrition and supplementation for the final 12 weeks. Three for the start of the year, and two for the end of the year. I absolutely love watching them change and cannot wait to see them compete!! I hope they love it as much as I do! Our first big day is in Darwin, early May. Next we are off to Geelong for the Conquest Classic in mid-May where I get to see my fabulous coach, Ingrid, and my other fav Geelong duo – Renata and Ji. They have collectively made such a difference to my life and I’ve been lucky enough to see them weaving their magic on so many around our little town of Katherine.

Oh yes – I also have to make mention of receiving the Sporting Star of the Year Award for the Katherine Times on Australia Day. I could hardly believe it!!! Sometimes, in moments of weakness, I still see myself as the chunky teenager who had never run a km in my life and spent most of my high school years hiding at the back of the field smoking! I always loved netball but could never seem to get past the C grade!!! My passion for the game never equalled my ability and I was the one who would be looking up at the goal post at precisely the same time that a team mate would pass the ball to me – meaning I would cop a chest pass to the cheek much to the amusement of all watching! Or there was the time I filled in for a hockey team and had to ask the ref where to stand. When she asked what my position was, I innocently said, “Left half right”. Yep – no sporting prowess here!! So it doesn’t sit easily with me to be recognised for anything sporty at all. But I’ll take that award with great pride and remind myself that we can all change – no matter how much of an unco you once were.

So all in all it’s been such a huge year with no let-up in sight.  With work, some pretty cool holidays, competitions, trainees and family life, it’s definitely not going to be dull. If you haven’t got it by now, I thrive on being busy.

There have been some hard times through the year too. That’s just part of life isn’t it? There will always be people that don’t see things the way you do. That’s ok – they are entitled to their opinion. My method for dealing with difficult customers is just to give them less of my mind. Sometimes I am consumed by my desire to answer back, get my point across or defend my position. But I try not to. Not because I’m scared to, but because I’m a realist and know that the odds of changing their opinion is next to zilch. You won’t do it. So why waste time trying? I find my own dignity is preserved with silence. Facebook fighting and slanging matches are both immature and belittling to those posting. I cringe at what people put out there. Having been on the end of some fairly ordinary posts, I believe the content speaks volumes about those posting them and less about whom they are slagging.

A very wise person once taught me that there are three things you can never get back, ever.
1. A fired bullet. 2. A spoken or written word. 3. A cashed cheque.

Be very careful when you let go of any.

 
So my day is focused now on training, gardening and having a movie night with my children. Could it get any better right now?